Swimming pool cleaning apparatus



Dec. 29, 1959 c. M. BLUMENFELD 2,919,027

SWIMMING POOL CLEANING APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1FIG. I

INVENTOR. CHARLES M. BLUMENFELD M,7Mce M AT TORNEYS Dec. 29, 1959 c. M.BLUMENFELD 2,919,027

SWIMMING POOL CLEANING APPARATUS Filed April ll, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. CHARLES M. BLUMENFELD ATTORNEYS Dec. 29, 1959 I c. M.BLUMENFELD 2,919,027

SWIMMING POOL CLEANING APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1958 FIGA 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. CHARLES M. BLUMENFELD MMLGW ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent Ofifice 2,919,027 Patented Dec. 29, 1959 2,919,027SWIMMING POOL CLEANING APPARATUS Charles M. Blumenfeld, Sarcamento,Calif. Application April 11, 1958, Serial No. 727,912 6 Claims. (Cl.210169) This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning swimming pools.

The cleaning of sediment from the bottom of swimming pools is requiredat regular intervals, and at the present time, represents a considerablemaintenance cost. The present method involves the use of a manuallyoperated suction head to pick up sediment off the bottom of the pool.This method is efiectiv'e, but it requires one or two men several hoursto do a thorough job on the average size residential swimming pool.Since the cleaning operation must be done approximately once a month, itis an appreciable expense in pool maintenance.

This invention provides an automatic cleaning device for removingsediment from the swimming pools without requiring supervision of anoperator. The device of this invention can be set to start the cleaningoperation, and left for any length of period required to complete thejob. Thus, one man can set a plurality of the devices in pools locatedconsiderable distances apart and leave the devices running without anysupervision. The same man can later pick up the devices after the poolsare clean. In this way a one man crew can service many pools almostsimultaneously, which is not possible with the presently availabletechniques.

Briefly, this invention contemplates swimming pool cleaning apparatuswhich includes a water filtering system, and an elongated conduit whichis free at one end. The other end of the conduit is connected to asource of water under pressure, and means are provided for disposing thefree end of the conduit adjacent the swimming pool bottom so thatsediment on the bottom of the pool is stirred up as water flows out thefree end of the conduit. The apparatus also includes means forcirculating the water with stirred up sediment through the filteringsystem as water flows through the conduit.

In the preferred form of the invention, the conduit is a flexible hoseand includes a jet or nozzle on its free end so the free end of theconduit is randomly displaced over the bottom of the pool due to thereaction of the water squirting from the jet. An elongated arm with oneend disposed over the central portion of the swimming pool supports thehose or conduit. The other end of the arm is connected to a mechanicaloscillator mounted on one of the swimming pool banks. The oscillatorgently sweeps the arm and conduit over the pool area. The support arm isextendable and retractable, and means are provided for automaticallyextending and retracting the arm as it is swept back and forth by theoscillator, so the end of the arm over the pool follows a substantiallyrectilinear path.

One form of the invention uses a suction line with one end connected totravel with the free end of the jetting hose and with the other endconnected to the filtering system so that water fed to the filter ispicked up in the vicinity of the jet where a maximum of sediment isstirred up in the water.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understoodfrom the following detailed description taken in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of the cleaning device mounted on thebank of a swimming pool;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of the cleaning device shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a modification of the cleaning deviceshown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified nozzle used in theinvention; and

Fig. 7 is a view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the cleaning apparatus 10 of this inventionis mounted on the side bank 11 of a swimming pool 12, which includes theusual diving board .13, ladders 14, and sump drain 15. The sump drain isconnected through a sump pipe 16 and three-Way valve 16A to the inlet ofa filter pump 17, which has its outlet connected by a pipe 18 to theinlet of a filter 20. The outlet of the filter 20 is connected by a pipe21 through a first valve 22 to a clean water discharge 24 at the deepend of the pool. A line 25, which terminates at a point X is connectedthrough a second valve 26 to line 21 between the first valve and thefilter pump. A line 25A, which terminates at a point Y is adapted to beconnected to the filter pump inlet when the three-way valve is turned ina clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 1. As shown inFig. 2, the swimming pool is filled with water 27.

Referring to Figs. 3 and includes a cart 28 made up of a horizontal andrectangular frame 30 at one end of which is mounted a pair of wheels 32.An upwardly extending handle 34 is rigidly attached to the end of thecart on which the wheels are mounted, and a separate downwardlyextending leg 36 is mounted at each of the corners at the other end ofthe frame 30 to provide a level support when the cart is positioned asshown in Fig. 4. The handle 34 is reinforced by a separate diagonalbrace 37 connected at one end to the handle and its other end to anintermediate portion of the frame edge. The cart is readily portable bysimply tilting the frame about the axis of the wheels to lift the legsoff the ground.

A horizontal base plate 38 is rigidly attached to the frame and supportsan electric motor 39, a water jetting pump 40 having an inlet 41 and anoutlet 42, and a gear box 44. The electric motor drives the water pumpthrough a shaft 46, and also drives a horizontal input shaft 48 of thegear box.

The pump inlet is connected to one end of a water intake hose 50, theother end of which extends down into the water of the pool. Power issupplied to the electric motor through electric lead 51. A 90 swiveljoint 52 is connected to the pump outlet. The swivel joint is ofconventional make, such as that supplied by the Barco ManufacturingCompany, and is free to rotate 360 about a vertical axis (as viewed inFig. 4). The discharge end of the swivel joint is connected to the inletend of an elongated horizontal hollow support arm 54,. which includes arelatively small diameter section 55 connected directly to the swiveljoint, and a larger diameter section 56 which makes a sliding fit overthe smaller section. As shown most clearly in Fig. 3, the outer end ofthe smaller diameter section includes an enlarged annular boss 58 whichmakes a sliding seal inside the inner end of the larger diameter sectionof the support arm. An annular O-ring 60 around the boss seals theannular space between the boss and the interior of the larger section ofthe support arm.

A collar 62 on the inner end of the larger section of 4, the cleaningapparatus the support arm makes a sliding fit around the interme-.

diate portion of the smaller section. A downwardly extending pin 64 isrigidly attached at its upper end to the collar 62, and has its lowerend disposed in a curved groove 66 formed in the upper surface of ahorizontal guide plate 68 supported by vertical posts 69 welded to theframe of the cart. A horizontal circular rotatable table 70 is attachedto the upper end of a vertical output shaft 72 of the gear box 44 underthe guide plate, and is adapated to rotate in a clockwise direction asshown in Fig. 3. A vertical drive pin 74 is attached at its lower end tothe rotary table, and extends up through a first longitudinal slot 76formed in one end of an elongated lever arm 78 attached at that end by apivot 80 to the frame of the cart. A vertical bolt 82 is disposedthrough a second longitudinal slot 84 at the other end of the lever arm,and is threaded into a nut 86 welded to the underside of the smallersection of the support arm.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 2, the outer end of the support arm isbent at a 90 angle to extend vertically down through an annular buoy 88secured to the downwardly extending part of the support arm at waterlevel. The lower end of the support arm extends a substantial distancebelow the buoy into the water to provide additional stability for thearm. The upper end of a flexible hose 90 is attached to the end of thesupport arm below the buoy, and a nozzle 92 is attached to the free endof the hose.

The operation of the cleaning device of this invention is as follows:

The cleaning unit is set up on the side of the pool as shown in Figs. 1and 2. The intake hose 50 is placed in the water, and the jetting pumpmotor 39 on the cart is turned on. The recirculation pump for thefiltering system is also turned on, first valve 22 opened, and secondvalve 26 closed. Water jetting out of the nozzle causes it to trace arandom path over the bottom of the pool as shown in dotted lines in Fig.l.

The motor 39 on the cart also actuates the gear box so the rotary tableis turned in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 3. The drive pin 74on the rotary table travels in the first longitudinal slot 76 of thelever arm 78, causing the lever arm to oscillate back and forth throughan angle of about 90. The movement of the unpivoted end of the lever armcauses the bolt 82 on the smaller section of the support arm to travellongitudinally in the second slot 84 of the lever arm and in turnoscillates the support arm about the swivel joint 52 through an angle ofabout 90. This movement of the 'support arm causes the traveling pin 64on the collar of the larger section of the support arm to travel ingroove 66 of the horizontal guide plate. As the support arm swings fromthe extreme left position shown in Fig. 3 to the extreme right positionshown in dotted lines of Fig. 3, the length of the support arm istelescoped to a minimum when the support arm is over the center of thepool, and extended to a maximum when the arm is in either of the extremeright or left positions. Thus, the outer end of the support arm traces asubstantially rectilinear path for the length of the pool insuringuniform coverage of the pool by the nozzle.

The water jetting from the nozzle stirs up sediment on the bottom of thepool, and the water containing the stirred up sediment is taken off atthe drain 15, circulated through the recirculation pump 17, the filter20, and returned to the pool through discharge 24. The device can beleft running unattended for an unlimited period of time, and thesediment will be picked up and deposited in the pool filter.

If desired, the electric motor on the cart as shown in Fig. 4 can bereplaced by a water turbine 100 as shown in Fig. 5, and the pumpreplaced by a stand pipe 102 having an inlet 104 connected to pipe 25 atpoint X (see Fig. 1). First valve 22 is closed, and second valve 26 isopened. A primary outlet 110 of the stand pipe is connected to theswivel joint 52, and a secondary outlet 112 of the stand pipe isconnected to an inlet 114 of the water turbine. Water is discharged fromthe turbine through an outlet 116. The water turbine has a drive shaft118 which powers the input shaft 48 of the gear box 44. The remainder ofthe elements of the cleaning device are identical with those describedwith respect to Figs. 1 through 4, and the operation of the unit shownin Fig. 5 is identical with that previously described, except that thejetting pump and electric motor are replaced by the water turbine. Thearrangement of Fig. 5 has the advantage of economy, provided that thefilter pump for the swimming pool is capable of delivering suflicientwater to operate both the nozzle and the water turbine.

in another embodiment of the invention, the pump inlet hose 50 of theapparatus of Figs. 1 through 4 is connected to point X (see Fig. 1) ofline 25. Second valve 26 is opened, and first valve 22 is closed, sothat the discharge from the filter is circulated back through the pumpon the cart, thereby increasing the jet action from the nozzle, orpermitting the use of a smaller jetting pump and motor on the cart.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a modified arrangement of the nozzle for stirring andpicking up sediment off of the pool bottom. The free end of the jettinghose is connected through a swivel 120 to a downwardly projecting nozzle122. A generally concave and fiat bottom scoop 124 is spaced from andattached to the nozzle and swivel by three elongated rods 126 (see Fig.7) so the larger portion of the scoop opens toward the nozzle. A centralintake 128 in the scoop is connected through a swivel 130 to one end ofan elongated and flexible pickup hose 132, the other end of which (notshown) is connected to point Y of line 25A and to the inlet of a filterpump 17 through the three-way valve (see Fig. 1), which is turned at 90in a clockwise'direction from the position shown in Fig. 1.

In the operation of the nozzle arrangement of Figs. 6 and 7, thethree-way valve is set so that the filter pump picks up water throughthe scoop. Water jetting from the nozzle lifts sediment off the poolbottom and directs it toward the scoop. The swivels on the nozzle andthe scoop permit the hose 90 and the pick-up hose 122 to move aboutfreely even though the scoop and nozzle maintain the position shown inFig. 7, i.e., the flat edge of the scoop being on the pool bottom. Thearrangement of Figs. 6 and 7 provides a more efiicient removal ofsediment, because the water passed through the filter is selected fromthe immediate vicinity 'of the nozzle where turbidity due to sediment isat a maximum. Also, preferably, valves 22 and 26 are set so thedischarge from the filter is fed into the jetting pump on the cart.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning sediment out of a swimming pool, the apparatuscomprising a filter pump having an inlet and outlet, a filter connectedin series with the filter pump, an elongated support arm disposed overthe pool, a mechanical oscillator, means connecting the arm to theoscillator, a water turbine having a drive shaft and a water inlet andoutlet, means connecting the filter pump outlet to the water turbineinlet, means coupling the turbine drive shaft to the oscillator so thearm is swept back and forth over the pool as the turbine is driven, anelongated flexible hose free at one end and for a substantial distanceadjacent its free end and supported by the arm over the water, meansconnecting the other end of the hose to the filter pump outlet, meansfor supporting the hose a substantial distance from the free end withthe free end of the hose adjacent the swimming pool bottom so thatsediment on the bottom of the pool is stirred up as water flows out thefree end of the hose and so the free end of the hose is moved by thereaction of water flowing from it, and means for circulating the waterwith stirred up sive to oscillations of the arm to extend and retractthe arm, and means for circulating the water with stirred up sedimentthrough the filter as Water flows through the hose.

3. Apparatus for cleaning sediment out of a pool of liquid, theapparatus comprising a movable buoyant sup- 4. Apparatus according toclaim 3 in which the conduit is pivotable about an upright axis.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 which includes means for extending andretracting the conduit as it is moved laterally.

6. Apparatus for cleaning sediment out of a pool of liquid, theapparatus comprising a movable buoyant support adapted to float in thepool, an elongated laterally References Cited in the file of this patentUNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 14,234 Otterson Dec. 19, 1916 396,112 RiceJan. 15, 1889 494,728 Bailey Apr. 4, 1893 1,244,178 Davis Oct. 23, 19171,908,179 Pray May 9, 1933 2,330,164 Wiedenhoefer Sept. 21, 19432,647,639 Grein Aug. 4, 1953 2,667,270 Cady etal Jan. 26, 1954 2,758,967Minish Aug. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,834 Great Britain of 1879 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N0u 2 9l9 O27December 29 1959 Charles M Blumenfeld It is hereby certified that errorappears in the printed specification of the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should readascorrected below.

Column 6 line 16, for conduit of read conduit and Signed and sealed this26th day of July 1960c (SEAL) Lttest:

KARL H. AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON ittesting Ofiicer Commissioner ofPatents

